FUNDRAISERS have been delighted by the latest support for the restoration of a former waterway.
The Melksham, Chippenham & Calne branch of the Wilts & Berks
Canal Trust received more than £35,000 in donations and grants last
year.
All of the money has gone towards projects which are steadily breathing new life into the stretch connecting the three towns.
The money has been used to fund planning applications and topographical studies, as well as improving towpaths and canalbanks.
The total sum of £35,679 was revealed during the branch AGM.
Canal Trust fundraiser Kath Hatton, pictured, said: “This has been
an excellent year, not only in terms of the amount raised but also the
range of activity which has been undertaken as a result of people’s
generosity.
“Every pound and penny brings us closer to our ultimate objective of a fully navigable waterway linking our local towns.”
The largest single grant was £6,091 from Awards4All which funded the
restoration of a landing stage at the foot of Pewsham Locks in the
countryside between Melksham and Chippenham.
The Inland Waterways Association provided £1,690 towards a planning
application to restore the locks and create a visitor centre, and
Chippenham Area Board provided £4,929 to raise the towpath and
canalbanks.
Hills Waste Management arranged grants totalling £7,446 towards a new
workboat due to be launched later this year, while Motorola provided
£3,906 as part of an international award in recognition of the hours
donated by employee Derek Flexer, who volunteers as branch chairman .
Melksham Area Board gave £2,832 towards a topographical study at Forest
Farm, £1,965 was raised from last year’s auction and £1,282 was raised
from boatrides.
The next round of fundraising will focus on trying to provide a new
slipway into the River Avon at Melksham – in anticipation of
narrowboats using the river to pass through the town centre – and
funding an environmental impact assessment.
Kath said: “We would like to thank everyone who has organised or supported our fundraising events over the last year.
“Thanks to their generosity, our local workparties continue to make huge progress in restoring the canal to its former glory.
“We would be delighted to welcome potential volunteers who are
interested in joining the campaign, as well as local companies who
would like to make their own corporate donations.
“Working together, we can all play a part in building a new amenity for the whole community.”
Call Kath on (01380) 831231 or email kath.hatton@wbct.org.uk
For more information about the local Branch of the Trust you can visit their Web site www.melkshamwaterway.org.uk
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